New ESG corporate bond ETF launched today

Explore how ESG investing can play a valuable role in your portfolio

“Vanguard has been offering ESG funds for more than 20 years. We believe they are enduring investment options for anyone interested in expressing personal values through investment decisions,” said Kaitlyn Caughlin, head of Vanguard Portfolio Review Department. 

Consider ESG investing if you’re looking to complement your portfolio with funds that reflect what matters most to you. We currently have 5 ESG funds (4 stock and 1 bond) with different investment objectives.   

A closer look at our new ESG bond ETF

The ESG U.S. Corporate Bond ETF is a low-cost, broadly diversified index fund that:

• Seeks to track the Bloomberg Barclays MSCI US Corporate SRI Select Index, capturing a broad cross section of the U.S. corporate bond market while excluding the bonds of companies whose activities don’t meet specific ESG criteria (such as companies that lack gender diversity on their boards or that invest in certain fossil fuels). Full exclusionary details can be found here.
• Has a competitive expense ratio of 0.12%, which is significantly lower than the average expense ratio for ethically themed fixed income funds of 0.72% as of March 31, 2020, according to Lipper, a Thomson Reuters Company.
• Is advised by Vanguard Fixed Income Group, one of the world’s largest fixed income managers with $1.921 trillion in global assets under management as of June 30, 2020.
• Is managed by Joshua C. Barrickman, CFA, a principal and co-head of Fixed Income Group Indexing Americas in Vanguard Fixed Income Group. Josh has been with Vanguard for 22 years.

Notes: For global diversification, you might also consider adding Vanguard Total International Bond ETF (BNDX) to your portfolio. Vanguard Short-Term Treasury ETF, Vanguard Intermediate-Term Treasury ETF, Vanguard Long-Term Treasury ETF, Vanguard Mortgage-Backed Securities ETF, and Vanguard Total International Bond ETF aren’t screened for ESG criteria.

Check out our new ESG U.S. Corporate Bond ETF today!

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Notes:

For more information about Vanguard funds or Vanguard ETFs, visit vanguard.com to obtain a prospectus or, if available, a summary prospectus. Investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses, and other important information about a fund are contained in the prospectus; read and consider it carefully before investing.

You must buy and sell Vanguard ETF Shares through Vanguard Brokerage Services (we offer them commission-free) or through another broker (which may charge commissions). See the Vanguard Brokerage Services commission and fee schedules for full details. Vanguard ETF Shares are not redeemable directly with the issuing fund other than in very large aggregations worth millions of dollars. ETFs are subject to market volatility. When buying or selling an ETF, you will pay or receive the current market price, which may be more or less than net asset value.

ESG funds are subject to ESG investment risk, which is the chance that the stocks or bonds screened by the index sponsor for ESG criteria generally will underperform the markets as a whole or that the particular stocks or bonds selected will, in the aggregate, trail returns of other funds screened for ESG criteria.

All investing is subject to risk, including the possible loss of the money you invest. Diversification does not ensure a profit or protect against a loss. Investments in bonds are subject to interest rate, credit, and inflation risk. Investments in stocks or bonds issued by non-U.S. companies are subject to risks including country/regional risk and currency risk.